Terms and COnditions

When you enrol for lessons at SVA you are indicating your acceptance of these terms and conditions. Failure to read this document does not constitute an acceptable reason for not complying. Pricing, timetable and terms and conditions are subject to change.

Your fees provide you with a space in a class or private lesson and the services of a teacher, at a given time each week. We also invest significant time, expertise, expense and effort to plan lessons and create materials, and to maintain our facility with professional-grade equipment.

These terms and conditions are designed not to be onerous, but to facilitate the smooth running of SVA and to ensure that we are able to serve our students for many years to come. We also need to be respectful of our teachers’ time and need for predictable and sustainable incomes. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation.

Commencement of LessonsWe require your registration form and first payment prior to commencement.

CommunicationOur primary method of communication is email. SVA is a large and busy music school with lots of events and opportunities happening at any one time. If you neglect to read our emails, you/your child will miss out on events and opportunities.

We request that you follow our processes for rescheduling lessons through the portal. This is the most efficient way to do this and eliminates the risk of double-bookings. See below for further details.

Changing Your Lesson or Class TimeIf you would like to request a change to your lesson or class time, we ask that you email us with 4 weeks' notice. Changes are made subject to availability.

Discontinuation of LessonsYour enrolment will remain the same throughout the calendar year unless we are notified otherwise by you.

If you wish to discontinue your lessons for the following term, you are required to notify us via our website at least 4 weeks prior to the first day of the new term, or full fees (based on your current enrolment) for the following term will be payable and you will be invoiced accordingly.

If you cease to attend without giving us any notice, you will still be invoiced as per the above.

Please note that simply telling a teacher does not count as notifying us - we require an email.

This policy applies to both private lessons and group classes and will be strictly enforced. Unfortunately we cannot run a viable service where last-minute changes result in significant loss of income for SVA & our staff. It's also really sad when students & families who we have built relationships with (in many cases over a number of years) simply vanish - we always appreciate the chance to say goodbye.

Minimum NumbersOur programs are subject to minimum numbers to remain viable. Should numbers drop below the required minimum, we may reluctantly need to cancel a particular class.

Late ArrivalsUnfortunately we are unable to offer an extension to your lesson time in the event of your late arrival, as this results in scheduling problems for the remainder of the day.

AbsencesPlease understand that if you miss a class, the cost of running the class remains the same. If you miss a private lesson, your teacher either forfeits that income or they have to attend outside their usual hours to make up the lesson. Either way, they have missed out on income for that particular time slot on that day and usually do not have the opportunity to replace you with another student.

We appreciate the frustration of missing out on a lesson that has been paid for, and so in our makeup policy aim to strike a balance that is fair for both students and teachers.

If we have to cancel a lesson due to teacher unavailability, you will be given a makeup lesson or a credit on the following term’s invoice.

At times it may be necessary for another teacher to take your lesson in place of your usual teacher. We do not take this lightly and only substitute teachers where unavoidable. We will always endeavour to give private students prior notice of this, but at times sudden illness or misadventure means this is not possible.

We offer very generous provisions for missed lessons – many music schools and other activities don’t offer makeups at all. Please be aware of the following conditions:

Private Lesson Absences• Makeups for private lessons will only be given if you provide at least 6 hours’ notice (based on the start of your scheduled lesson time). If you give us less than 6 hours’ notice of an absence, you will NOT receive a makeup lesson, regardless of the circumstances. We appreciate that everyone feels that their circumstances are exceptional and that they should still receive a makeup, but without a firm policy that we enforce, we end up with chaotic teaching schedules and frustrated teachers and admin staff, which impacts on our ability to provide our students with high-quality experiences.

• To notify us of an anticipated lesson absence, log into your Parent & Student Portal and click on the lesson you will miss, where you will have the option to indicate your absence. Please use this method rather than emailing or texting us.

• If you are notifying us of an absence for a private lesson with less than 6 hours’ notice you are not entitled to a private makeup lesson but you may attend a suitable group class instead. Please refer to our website for the current timetable, and email us to let us know to expect you. You may attend the makeup class any time during the current or following term.

• Instead of having a makeup lesson, you are free to use your lesson time for another SVA student. If you would like to a sibling or friend to attend in your place that is fine, but if possible please email or text to let us know (6 hours’ notice is not required).

• Makeups cannot be used as credits on a future term’s invoice.

• If a student withdraws after the start of term, no refunds will be given.

• Students/their parents are responsible for following up owed makeups. You will not be reminded of them.

• Any makeups owing must be taken within 30 days. Makeups will be automatically removed from your portal area once they expire.

• Makeups are only available to currently enrolled students. As soon as you cease to become an enrolled student, your makeup credits expire.

• ​The makeup times that are in the portal are the only makeup times available. We do not offer makeups during school holidays, except where we have had to cancel lessons due to teacher absence. In order to take an owed makeup, you may need to leave school early, or miss another activity.

• Please don’t attend lessons when unwell. Spending 30 minutes in a confined space with a coughing, sneezing student practically guarantees that a teacher will become unwell. In particular, if your child was not well enough to attend school that day, they are not well enough to attend a private lesson that afternoon.

Shared Private Lesson Absences• Makeups are only offered for shared private lessons when the teacher cancels or both students give prior notice of an absence with at least 6 hours’ notice. If one student attends but the other does not, the attending student will receive the full lesson time and there will be no makeup given.

Group Class Absences• We do not require notice for students missing a group class. Students are automatically entitled to a makeup group class for any missed group classes. Please refer to our website for the current timetable. You may attend the makeup class any time within 30 days of the missed class. If possible, please text or email us with the details of the class you intend to attend so that we know to expect you. Please select a makeup class with a suitable age group.

• Missed classes cannot be used as credits on a future invoice.

• If a student withdraws after the first day of term, no refunds will be given.

• Students/their parents are responsible for following up owed makeups. You will not be reminded of them.

• Any makeups owing must be taken within 30 days, with the exception of makeups where the missed lesson was in the final 2 weeks of Term 4, in which case makeups can be taken in the first 2 weeks of the following year.

Concert AttendanceOur concert dates are published at the start of the year. SVA concerts are not compulsory, however we ask that students do not withdraw at the last minute except where unavoidable due to illness. Late withdrawals and lack of communication cause problems and compromise our ability to put on high-quality, enjoyable events. Some of our programs do require a commitment to participate in specific performances - you'll be given advance notice if this affects you.

PaymentsYour invoice will be sent via email prior to the end of the previous term, or during the school holidays. School terms range from 9 to 11 weeks and your invoice will be adjusted accordingly.

The term’s fees must be paid in full or half, on or by the first day of each term. If you choose to pay half up front, the remainder is due no later than the first day of week 5 of term. If your fees are unpaid by the first day of term, your place may be offered to someone on our waiting list.

New students taking private lessons must provide full or half payment prior to their first lesson.​

Late payments compromise our ability to offer outstanding learning experiences to our students and to meet our financial obligations. SVA reserves the right to refer invoices that are more than 10 weeks overdue to collection agencies. SVA also reserves the right to exclude students from lessons, classes, workshops, concerts and other activities if accounts are not up to date.

Unfortunately we are unable to offer shortened terms, refunds or account credits due to conflicting events, sport, sickness, family holidays or to align with private school terms.

Supervision & Student SafetyThe waiting area at SVA is not under the direct supervision of an adult, and SVA staff are not responsible for the supervision and safety of students outside the times of their scheduled lessons/classes. The carpark is very busy, and we ask that parents accompany children inside and pick them up from the SVA waiting area.

Student BehaviourIt is important that all students feel valued, respected and safe at SVA. We reserve the right to discontinue the enrolment of a student whose behaviour is disruptive or upsetting to other students or staff.

Thank you Thanks for making yourself aware of our policies and helping us to ensure we're here for the long term to offer our students exceptional learning experiences. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.